Home at last
by Snugglebunny83
Summary: An OC's final moments on earth and first few moments in heaven. I do not own Sam, Dean, Tessa, or Gabriel. Rated K for mild swearing.


Sam and Dean had just finished a hunt and were currently making their way through Kansas. Since they had nothing major in the works, Dean suggested that they take in a Jayhawks game.

"Looks like the Lady Jayhawks are playing the Wildcats this Saturday in Manhattan. Wanna check that one out?" Sam asked, as he looked up from his laptop.

"Sure, why not? College girls in shorty-shorts…Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday. Unless we also involve pie."

They pulled into Manhattan and were driving around looking for an affordable motel when they happened to see two very familiar figures walking into what appeared to be a hospital.

"Dean? Is it just me, or is that Gabriel and Tessa?"

"Tessa? You mean the reaper Tessa? Where?"

"Walking into that hospital." Sam replied, pointing.

"Sure as hell looks like it. C'mon. Let's see what's up."

Dean pulled into the parking lot and parked the Impala. They followed Gabriel and Tessa inside, keeping back far enough to not alert them to their presence.

Tessa and Gabriel stopped outside a room and stood waiting, solemn and quiet. From within, Sam and Dean could hear the sound of sobbing. Clearly somebody had just passed away or was about to.

"Come on. Let's get a closer look and see what they're up to." Dean whispered.

"Sam, Dean. This isn't where you want to be right now." Gabriel spoke when he saw them. The boys were taken aback by his grave and quiet demeanor.

They looked into the room. A young woman was lying on the bed, at least they thought she might be a woman. She was so covered with tubes, wires, and bandages that it was hard for them to even tell if she was human. Sitting at the bedside embracing, sobbing, and shaking were three men. As the boys watched with Gabriel and Tessa looking on, a nurse came into the room with a clipboard.

"Mr. Shoufler?" She asked, looking at each of them in turn.

The oldest one looked up and nodded.

"I'm Karl Shoufler." He answered in a broken voice, choked with tears.

Sam and Dean listened as the nurse explained the situation. The young woman, who turned out to be his daughter had been struck by a car while walking home from class one night. For days she had lingered in a coma, but was now considered too brain damaged to ever recover.

They watched as the man was handed the clipboard. His hands shook as he signed the document that would remove her from life support. Barely two years ago he had to sign away his wife's life. Now he was doing the same for his daughter. It was almost too great a burden to bear.

"Gabe, can't you…?" Sam asked, a lump in his throat.

The angel sadly shook his head.

The machines were turned off. One by one they fell silent. As the woman drew her last breath, the three men surrounded her and held her gently for the very last time.

"Goodbye Angel baby. My little pickly head. Your Ma's waiting for ya."

"Oh Snugglebunny. How in the world am I going to get on without you?"

"I should have told you this long ago. Now it's too damn late. I love you. I've always loved you."

One by one they said their goodbyes, each kissing the only bare skin visible on her face.

Sam and Dean were surprised to find they were actually crying. They didn't know these people and it wasn't like this was the first time they had watched somebody die. They knew it wouldn't be the last either.

Before long, they were surprised to be joined by a woman dressed in a hospital gown. She stared at them all for a moment, then looked into the room.

"So that's it then. I'm dead." She spoke in a quiet, matter of fact tone.

"I'm sorry." Tessa replied, putting an arm around her.

"Now what?"

"That's up to you. You can go on with Gabriel and me, or you can stay here."

The woman stood silent, thinking for some time. She looked at the men in the room.

"They'll be alright without me. It'll take time, but they are strong. They'll heal in time. You'll look after them, right?" She asked, turning to look at Gabriel.

"Of course we will, and you will too."

She looked at Sam and Dean. "Tell them I love them. Always have, always will."

They nodded.

With Tessa and Gabriel holding her hands, the woman passed over to the other side.

Taking a moment to compose themselves, Sam and Dean entered the room. This wasn't going to be easy and they could very well get an ass kicking for their trouble, but they owed it to her to honor her last request.

Clearing his throat, Dean spoke to them.

"Umm. 'Scuse me. This is going to sound really weird, but she wanted you all to know that she loves you and that she always has and always will."

He watched as their faces crumpled again with grief and braced himself for the punch he was sure was coming. He wondered which one would deal it. The father? The husband? The…he wasn't sure what the third guy was. A friend? A former lover?

Oddly enough, none of them hit him. Instead they thanked him and shook his hand. He and Sam offered their condolences then before departing.

While all of this was going on earth, the newest resident of heaven was just arriving with Gabriel at her side.

She had believed all her life that there was such a place from heaven and that it was the most beautiful place anyone could imagine. Yet she was still pretty floored when she got her first glimpse.

"Umm, Gabriel? Why does heaven look like the library of congress?"

"This is merely the entrance. Heaven's lobby if you will. It looks different for everyone. Some people see the Garden of Eden, some see God's throne room. You see a library. I suggest you take a look at Shelf J-9783. You'll find some interesting volumes there."

"Shelf J-9783?"

Gabriel nodded, a sly grin on his face. Curious, she went to the shelf in question. On it were thirty books bound in red leather. The lettering on the spines and the edges of the pages were gilded. Taking a closer look at the lettering, she gasped.

"Are these…?"

"Yep. Your entire life. Every second of every day for thirty years. All recorded in those thirty volumes."

She pulled out the book marked 2002 and flipped through it. Occasionally she laughed as she ran across something funny.

"Oh man! I can't believe we did that! Those friends of mine, I swear! They always kept me on my toes."

Gabriel knew she could be content to spend all eternity here, reliving her life and reading the rest of the life stories that were on the shelves, but he also knew that her own personal heaven awaited and it was something he knew she'd love to see.

"Come on now. Your personal heaven is waiting."

"Personal heaven?"

"You know, that my Father's house has many mansions thing."

"Oh! Yeah! Well let's go then! I can't wait!"

They traveled through the library and out through a set of double doors. She was surprised to find they were standing outside and she gasped again as she recognized where exactly they were standing. Turning around, she expected to see the double doors they had passed through, but instead there was the gate. The white gate she remembered from her childhood. Looking up, she saw the old familiar rose trellis. It was covered in roses, just like it had been the last time she saw it.

As she watched, more familiar things came into view. The swingset and playhouse with the sandbox behind it. The long sidewalk with the concrete patio. The old blue and white patio table and chairs, and Grandma's swing. The blue one. The houses. The green and white one she had grown up in, and the big brick one that Grandma and Grandma had lived in.

The door to the big house opened and somebody was coming down the stairs toward them.

"Momma?"

"Angel baby? Is that you?"

"Momma! It's me! It's J.P.! I'm home!"

They ran into each other's arms, laughing and crying at the same time.

Her own personal heaven held many more such wonders. Grandma and Grandpa were there as was Aunt Patty, several friends and relatives that had passed on, and of course all their furry friends were there too.

What seemed like an entire lifetime on earth was only a few seconds there. As you can imagine, a day in heaven was the most wonderful experience anyone could have. She met God and Jesus, and sang in the heavenly choir. A little off key perhaps, but with the same good will as always.

Of course she kept a close eye on those she'd left behind. As she knew they would, they had grieved but they healed in time. As their lifetimes passed, she was called to heaven's gate now and then to welcome home a new soul. At last all were reunited, never again to part.


End file.
